**Roughly 5 Zones & How They Benefit You** The Mayo Clinic describes “moderate” activity as any activity that causes your heart to operate between 50% & 70% of your Maximum Heart Rate, and “vigorous” activity as anything that causes your heart to operate between 70% & 85% of your Maximum Heart Rate. The regions are what the [[Ideal Exercise Regiment#Governmental Recommendations]] use:  You can measure your heart rate while exercising using common pieces of tech _(e.g. Apple Watch, Fitbit, various Garmin watches)_, specialized pieces of tech _(e.g. the Pulse chest bands)_, or simply by gauging how quickly you start sweating and how difficult it is to talk during the activity. Polar & Apple suggest there are 5 "zones", based on your maximum heart rate. The Mayo Clinic is a little less granular. [[Oura Ring]] suggests there are 6. They most if not all agree on the max heart rate formula: > [!tip] Max Heart Rate > ❤️ Max Heart Rate = 220 - Your Age If you're using the five zone approach, they typically break out zones by decades of percentages of Max Heart Rate from 50% to 100%. So for a 35 year old you'd get: # Apple Zones 220 - 35 = 185bpm | Zone | Lowest HR in Zone | |--|--| |5|170| | 4|158| |3|146| | 2 | 134| | 1 | below 133 | # Why They're Important The different heart rate zones tap into the [[3 Types of Energy Supply in Mammals]] differently. # Alternative Breakdowns ## [[Simple Science Fitness]] Zones Using the calculator on SS.fitness, which incorporates resting heart rate info. Seems to essentially line up with Apple: ![[heart_rate_zones_ss_fitness.png]] ## Mayo Clinic's Heart Rate Zones ![[assets/Untitled 46.png]] These are the heart rate zones referred to in the [[Ideal Exercise Regiment]]. These are agreed on by the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic. ### Resting - below 50% HRMAX For most people this is ~60 to 100 beats per minute. ### Moderate - 50-70% of HRMAX Quicker breathing. Sweat after ~10 minutes. Can converse, but not sing. ### Vigorous - 70-85% of HRMAX Deep, rapid breathing. Sweat after a few minutes. Cannot speak more than a few words at a time. ### Too hard - above 85% of HRMAX Above 85% is too hard for sustained activity. This is where you start "sucking wind". ## Polar & Apple's 5 Heart Rate Zones ### Zone 1 - Very Light - 50-60% of HRMAX Good for recovery. Basically walking. ### [[Zone 2]] - Light - 60-70% of HRMAX Good for general endurance, increases quantity & quality of [[Mitochondria]]. Should be able to go for a long time at this intensity. Cycling, vigorous walking or walking at a grade, or slow jogging. ### Zone 3 - Moderate - 70-80% of HRMAX Improves circulatory efficiency, strengthens the heart. Lactic acid starts to accumulate. ### Zone 4 - Hard - 80-90% of HRMAX Breathing hard here. Training your body to use carbs for energy & withstand higher levels of lactic acid for longer. ### Zone 5 - Maximum - 90-100% of HRMAX You cannot maintain this for more than a couple minutes. Lactic acid gets built up quickly. This is where you're operating during the hard parts of [[HIIT]]. ## [[Oura Ring]] Zones Are based on my current age, 36. Interestingly they seem **not** to take into account my resting heart rate and are, thus, lower ranges. ### Zone 0 - <= 90 bpm ### Zone 1 - 91 - 108 bpm ### Zone 2 - 109 - 126 bpm ### Zone 3 - 127 - 144 bpm ### Zone 4 - 145 - 162 bpm ### Zone 5 - > 162 bpm --- ### Sources [https://www.polar.com/blog/running-heart-rate-zones-basics/](https://www.polar.com/blog/running-heart-rate-zones-basics/) [https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887) My Apple Watch ⌚️ p ### Related - [[Ideal Exercise Regiment]] - [[Facets of Fitness]] - [[HIIT]]